Wildstang History

Double Trouble: This year is the first year of alliances. Four teams will participate in each match, paired to create alliances of two teams each. An alliance will work together to try to win a match. Alliances will win or loose as a single unit. Points and/or victories will apply equally to both teams within an alliance.

The playing field is a carpeted, rectangular area with an octagonal rolling platform. Around the perimeter of the field are four stations for human players, and four stations for robot operators and coaches. During a match, each alliance works to score points by positioning “floppies”, their robots, and the “puck” on the playing field. Floppies are light weight, pillow-like objects with Velcro-loop material located in its center and around its perimeter. The puck is a short, octagonal platform that rolls freely on caster wheels. Only human players and robots may directly interact with the floppies. The robots will compete within the bounds of the playing field, while the human players will be located at stations just outside the playing field.

At the start of each match, each human player station will contain three of the alliance’s floppies. Four floppies per alliance are placed along center line of field, beginning at the barrier edge, and the puck is centered in the middle of the field. The ten floppies belonging to each alliance will be color coded to identify alliance ownership.

Each alliance will receive 1 point for each of their floppies that is over the playing field, not in contact with the surface of the playing field, and less than 8 feet above the surface of the playing field.

Each alliance will receive 3 points for each of their floppies that is over the playing field, and a minimum of 8 feet above the surface of the playing field.

Any robot on the puck will multiply its alliance’s score by 3.

If the puck is entirely on one side of the dividing line which extends down the middle of the playing field, the alliance who’s robot operator stations are furthest from the puck will multiply its score by 2.

All multipliers are cumulative. Thus, the highest possible score is 30x3x3x2 or 540 points.

Each match will last two minutes. In order to win a match, an alliance must score more points than the other alliance.

This year proved to be another huge year for the team. With this robot, Wildstang placed eighth at the Motorola Midwest Regional. Though not first place, the team robot also earned the quality award and lifted the morale of the players. In the Great Lakes Regional, the team took 6th place and the "Leadership in Control" award. But then a little ray of light shined down on Wildstang as we entered the nationals down in Florida... Wildstang fought for it and achived 2nd place in the nation!

Event Award Description

Motorola Midwest Regional
William Rainey Harper College
Schaumburg, IL
February 25th, 1999 - February 27th, 1999 #8 Alliance Team 111 - Motorola, Inc. & Rolling Meadows High School & Wheeling High School (Schaumburg, IL) & Team 45 - Delphi Automotive Systems & Kokomo High School (Kokomo, IN)

Motorola Quality Award

Great Lakes Regional
Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, MI
March 25th, 1999 - March 27th, 1999 #6 Alliance Team 111 - Motorola, Inc. & Rolling Meadows High School & Wheeling High School (Schaumburg, IL) & Team 123 - New Venture Gear, Inc. & Hamtramck High School (Troy, MI) & Team 188 - Woburn Robotics (Scarborough, Ontario, Canada)

Honeywell Leadership in Control Award

National Championship
Walt Disney World's EPCOT
Orlando, FL
April 22nd, 1999 - April 24th, 1999 #2 Alliance Team 45 - Delphi Automotive Systems & Kokomo High School (Kokomo, IN) & Team 111 - Motorola, Inc. & Rolling Meadows High School & Wheeling High School (Schaumburg, IL) & Team 84 - Northern Tier Industry & Education Consortium & Wyalusing, Athens, Towanda, Troy, Northeast & Sayre High Schools (Troy, PA)

Finalist Award 2nd Place!